Educational device to assist and accelerate memorization



Feb. l0. 192:.

H. C. SPENCER EDUCATIONAL DEVICE To ASSIST AND ACGELERATE MEMORIZ'ATION Filed Jana l5.

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ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 10, 19.25.

4UNITED STATES HowA-nn c. SPENCER, or

ROCHESTER, New vom; 1

EDUCATIONAL DEvicE 'ro Assisr AND in:eiiLiinurn moniza'rron.

Application led January 15, 1924. Serial No. 686,314.

To all whom t may concern:v

Be it known that I, HOWARD C. SPENCER, a `citizen of the United States of America, andl a resident of the city of Rochester, county of Monroe, andState of New York, have inventedcertain 'new and .useful Improvements in Educational Devices to Assist and Accelerate Memorization, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to an educational device the primary purpose of which is to aid in the memorization in minimum time of reading material which is compact, discrete and discontinuous. General' objects of the invention are to provide an educational device of unlimited scope and flexibility of use, having a minimum of mechanical complexity and which will encourage `interest in studying related matter comprising the subjects and keys or answers which are being -memorized, and to make the device more or .less fascinating tothe user. Specific objects of the invention are to make the device suitable for the study of foreign-language vocabularies, history dates, formulas in mathevmatics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, en-

gineering, or other arts or sciences, shorthand word-signs, etc., respectively arranged in one column, with a corresponding columny of the equivalents or related subjects paralleln to such column, also to make the device suitv.able for use as a pocket dictionary, or as a."

memory cross-tester in study orreview. A more specific ob]ect of, the present invention 1s to eliminate the confusion resulting from simultaneous observation of -several items and tmake it necessary for the user of the device to .exert the effort which is required in turning overtlie device to exposeboth of the faces thereof for the study of the subjects in one column at one face, andof the key in another column at the other face, with the result of encouraging interest and. rapid learning. `j e These being some of the objects of the present invention, the same consists of ce1" tain features of construction and combina-4 tions of. parts to be hereinafter described'and then claimed with reference to the accompanying drawings,illustrating the preferred .embodiment of the f invention, land in Fig.' 1 is a face view of the device;

Fig. 2 is arear view. A

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section through the sight-apertures;

yinserted through one of the Fig. 5 is an end view of a series of in'- scribed or printed sheets nested to form a slide.

4 Referring to the drawings, the cover, case' or envelope 10 of the educational device may be composed of, suitable opaque material,

preferably of cardboard, so folded as to The edges of the piece from wliiclithe envelope is formed .may be brought together `provide a front wall 11 and a rear wall 12.

.t'o just meet, and be secured together by a i strip of cardboard or other material 13, which is edge portions so as to extend longitudinally thereof, or the ed es of the piece of material may overlap and fastened together. The ends of they envelope are both preferably left asted to the inner surfaces of the.

open and between the two openings 10, 10",

transverse sight-apertures 14 and 15, parallel with the ends of the envelope, are formed respectively in the `front wall 11 and the rear '4 i wall 12 ofthe envelope. Panes 16' of suitable transparent protecting material may, if' desired, be secured to the inner surface of the envelope 10 to extend over the sight apertures 14, 15.

Notches 17, 18 are.,preferab1y formed in the open ends 10, 1'0b of the envelope 10 to facilitate access to a slide-preferably ofthe same length as the envelope-which is said open ends of the envelope, such-slide being preferably composed of a series or lurality of longitudinally folded sheets 9, 2O of suitable flexible material, as, for example, paper.

Each sheet 19, 20, if folded, would have a longitudinal vfold 21, and when 'the slide is composed of such folded sheets they are pref,- erably nestedtogether, fold within fold. The sheets may have the matter to appear' thereon printed on them before they are folded at the fold-line, shown dotted in Fig. 4, or, the sheets may be ruled, eif the student or other person who makes use of the device wishes to first ,write out the. various items of the subject or sub'ect mattersand keys' and then fold the s eets. In' some cases ordinary strips of cardboard or other suitable material may be used in place of the folded sheets, the items of the subject matter appearing onf one face and thekeys on the -shifted vto successively bring subject matter, printed thereon, or, pref-` e'rably, written thereon by the student, who,

rather than a printer or publish/er, determines just what matter is to appear on the sheet. Each item or unit ofthe. column 22 of subject matter preferably reads from a point adjacent the fold to the right; ,and the otherfouter face of the folded sheet will have printed or written thereon la parallel column 23 .of different keys to the corresponding items of the subject, and they read toward the.-fold which is parallel with the columns. VIn the columns the items of the subject matter and the keys will run in parallel lines.

While it is preferable that the columns of items of subject matter and keys be directly adjacent and. at opposite sides of the fold, 21 so as to face away from each other, it'is,clear that this is not' necessarily the case, but is especially desirable where sheets which are to be folded are ruled andere blank so that one may write the matter desired thereon; this is also desirable if the folded sheets are to be nested. Preferably the sight-apertures 14, 15 are located directly opposite, or in registry with, each other, and preferably each separate subject matter such as 24 has its corresponding key'25 arranged `so that they appear back to back on the slide or folded sheet, that is in direct opposition, but it is obvious that kin some cases it -rmay be desirable to have the apertures offset from cach other in which case a given subject matter and its corresponding key would also be offset so that they aro in cooperative relation when exposed through the cooperating sight-apertpres. r f

Supposing one is making use of` the de` vice to study the matter displayed on the sheet shown in Fig. 4, and the units or items of the subject are to be,l considered and memorized together 'with the items of the corresponding keys in succession, the slide in the envelope 1s then longitudinally the various items of the subject opposite the sightaperture 14, and simultaneously with the appearanceof a given item throu h said aperture, the key corresponding or caring a constant relation thereto will be visible throughthe-other sight-aperture 15, but the learned .then that sheet may be inserted within the folds of the other sheets, and

'the outermost of these sheets will then exposeitsparticular column of subject matter and keys thereto. For study or review either column may be viewed and the memory called upon-for the equivalent contained in the other column; this provides a double cross-test of memory and ofthe mastery of the material studied.

As the material of the case or envelope 10 is opaque the unapertured portions therelof serve as blinds to hide all matter not displayed through the two apertures 14, 15.' A reference to but one subject-item and key shown will suflice to illustrate any others. I f one is studying ancient history, for ex ample, the subject-item may be the words Rome founded, the conjointly appearing key, or answer, would be 7 53 BC, or vice versa. It will be noted that each subjectmatter item and its key or answer, with.

instantly accessible during the process ofv memorization or review by merely turning the device over. This effect is\ordinar ily partially gained by the student when he covers the key column in his book with a; card or blotter (for eXample'in-learning a French vocabulary) and, after trying to recall the equivalent of each English word in turn,;nncovers the French equivalent to verify his .recollection or ess, or the reverse processpof learning t e English from the French is employed. Any one who has tried this, however, will realize how annoyingly often the card or blotter is shifted too far, or blows away, or an` irregularity in the column exposes too many words at once. 0f course one can and very often does learn from two columns both exposed to the eye 10 improved device and its adaptability to` material ofI various kinds-dates, formulas, etc., as \vellas .vocabularies-to indicate that it is intendedprimarilyl for the student or other'user, who writes in any invl`l formation ,of his ownl selection" that he desires to memorize in-minimum time; and to stress the' preferred method'of use, viz:

'1. The user first must vwrite vin the material 1to be memorized, thus'taking advan- :1u-tage of this powerful 'aid toconcentration v of attention` and to memory.

2. The user rereads material written down vto ensure accurate copying,-` thus further impressingmaterial on\the memory.v

"l5 3. By then using the d'evice the user acj quires and tests hlspresent mastery of the material;I in subsequent' review 'he' `tests his ultimate mastery. v

- 4. By carrying the device with him, as

he may easily do in view of its size, the

user has the material available for.- study or review at any time 0r in odd 'momen By reason of its construction thev user isvassisted and enabled to concentrate his 133 attention uponjone item at a time for. as

long as and whenever he desires. f

The wide and extensive range of the pres- -ent invention is obvious so far as the scope,

variety, and Vpraeticability of the e 4o wliich can be covered are concerned; an

invention `iswof` courseV not limited'to the ,study of any -particular)subject, although each slide or sheet will probably be con- Iined to a given vline of study; nor is it- 4'5, limited' as todetails except as expressed in the claims.- y l What I claim as new and desire to secure f by Letters Patent of. the United States is:

' l 1. An educational device to `assist and. ac celerate memorization, which comprises an opaque envelope, open at one edge, and provided 'with only two sight. laperturesv arev V ranged in. cooperating rela-tion in itsy op# 4posite faces, and a slideinthe envelope bearing on onegface a'column of diierent subjects' and on the other face a column of Y different keys to the corresponding subjects, each item ofthe different subjects and its corresponding ke bein in" cooperating op. eujposition" on the slide, an the saidfsight aper- `jtures being narrow and substantially the `same. in height, and relatively long',- and extending transversely of the envelope and;

' parallel with said edge opening, for simul 6a taneously uncovering correspondingly sized transverse areas of the opposite surfaces of the slide, so that one may read co-related llegible matter which may appear-at the opposite surfaces of the slide. v 2. An educational device Ato, assist and 'I0 accelerate memorization, which comprises an opaque envelope, open at one edge, and provided With only two sight apertures arranged'in coo erating relation in vits opa slide whichisfltted to 75 posite faces, anl the envelope and is movable through said edge-opening, the said slide bearing on one.A face acolumn of dilerent subjectsfand on the otherl face a column of dinerent keys to the corresponding subjects, each item of the 80 different subjects and its corresponding key being in cooperating opposition on the slide, and the said sight apertures being narrow and substantially.. the samel in height, and relatively^long, and extending transversely of the envelope andthe direction. of movef 'ment of the, slide, for simultaneously uncovering correspondingly sized transverse areas ofthe opposite surfaces of thev slide, so that one may read co-related legible matter 9U which may appear atthe opposite surfaces Of the-slide. i

3. An educational device to assist and ac;

n celerate memorization, comprising the combination of an opaque envelope 'provided 95 with registering,sight-apertures in its opposite faces, and a slidein the envelope bear-f. ing on one face a column of different, subujects and on the other face a column of different keys to the corresponding subjects,

eachitem of the different subjects and its corresponding key being in dlrect opposition on the` slide, so "as to appear .simultaneously at said apertures, and the unapertured portions of the envelope serving as v blinds to rthe subjects and-'keys which are beyond thesight-apertures 4; An educational dev o assist and j accelerate 'immer-ization,- cjomprisingv the combination of anx opaquei envelope provided with-cooperating sight-apertures inA its opposite faces, and aslide in the env'elopebearing on .one face a column of different subjects andbnthe other [face a eolumn of different keysto the'corresponding 115', j

subjects, each itemfoffthe different subjects and its corresponding'key being inoooperating opposition on the slide, so as to ap-g j peansimultaneously at saidvapertures, andV the unapertured 4portions `ofthe envelope 120 serving as blinds to the" subjects .and key v which are rbeyond. the' sight-apertures.

5. An educational device to assist 'and laccelerate memorization, comprising the'` combination of an opaque envelope p ro- 426 vided with cooperating sight-aperturesv in its opposite fac-es, and a 4slideI in(thefen-` velope, consistingof a4` folded sheet having 01 ,on its outer surface, at one. side-of the f acolumn of different subjects, anden .the 180 v y face, at one side of the saine surface, at the other side of the fold,

. a column of di'erent keys to the corresponding; subjects, eaclfy item ofthe diHerent subjects and its corresponding key being arranged in cooperating relatlon for simultaneous appearance at the said apertures. 6. A folded sheet having on its outer surface, at one side of the fold, a column of different subjectsand on th at the other side of the fold, a column of diferent keys to the corresponding subjects, each item of the different subjects and its corresponding key being in directly op'poslte position oni' the foldedsheet, in combination with an envelope provided/iwith re iste ing sight apertures in its opposite faes, gud Within which said folded sheet is yfitted to slide. 7. A folded sheet havin on its outer surld,-a'column of the. same surface, fold, a column.` of

different subjects and on at the other side of the ydifferent keys to the corresponding subjects, each item-of the dierent subjects and its corresponding yeyy being in conjointly readable relation on the folded sheet, 1u combination with an envelopey provided with cooperating sight apertures in its 0pposite. faces, and within which said folded sheetis fitted to slide.

7,different subjects and its corresponding key being arranged in cooperating relation, and blinds for all butone item at a time of the different subjects on the outer sheet and its cooperating or corresponding key.

HOWARD c. SPENCER.

comprising the 

